Introduction
Today consumers are at greater risk of being uninsured or underinsured than they were in 1994, when efforts to enact healthcare reform died. While the easy part of achieving healthcare reform is developing policy models that lead to universal coverage, the more difficult ingredients are Presidential and Congressional leadership, campaign finance reform, and a powerful consumer-based grassroots movement.What the Public Wants
One of the reasons health reform has not been enacted is that there is no public opinion consensus on how to reform the healthcare system. The needed public consensus for reform never emerged because of the public’s diversity of viewpoint, and the basic satisfaction level of the vast majority of Americans who are insured. Some of the areas where there is a near consensus of public opinion: people tend to want choice of doctor and health plan; quality healthcare; prompt healthcare; a voluntary system. In general, the public tends to oppose an expanded government interference in what should be private healthcare decision-making; rapid change in the healthcare system; policies that increase taxes or health insurance premiums; or rationing of healthcare.
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